Cartridge-loading device.



N. 747,422. PATRNTBD DEG. 2z, 190s. C. B..HBLM.

CARTRIDGE .LOADING DEVICE.

, A'PPLIUATXONTILBD DBG. 2351902.

.w MODEL. s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rzaeg C. B. HELM.

PATBNTED DEC. 22, 1903.

-GARTRIQQB LOADINGDBVIGBL APPLICATION FIL'EDDEQ.-`23, 1902.

' No MoDEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 24 lPAIEIBD DEC. 22, 1903.

No. 747,422.l

G. B. HELM.

CARTRIDGE LUADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.23|1902.

s SHEETS-SHEET 3.

No MODEL.

1 atcn'ted 'December 22, 1903.

CLINTON L HELM, OF ROOKFORD, LLINOS, A'SSGNOR TO AMERICA 'OOM- OF ROOKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF lLLlNOIS.

ons'reioesanoneinie nevica.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .'Eatent Elo. 7 -?,l22, dated December 22, 1903. Application filed December 23, 1902. Serial lloQlSGAllS. (No model.)

To all zoll/ont t may concern:

Beit known that I, CLINTON B. HELM, a

citizen of the United States of America, and a series of shells at once; to provideautomatic means for measuring and discharging into the shell a definite volume of material for the charge; to provide for the easy handling of the shells; to provide an accurate graduating adjustment for the measuring compartments; to provide for easy manipulation of the powder and shot charges; and in general, to provide an .accurately working and convenient mechanism for loading shells not requiring any lifting of the parts and avoiding the necessity for painstaking attention to the filling of' the measure. The invention also provides various structural improvements of parts and convenient arrangements whereby the operation is simplified.

The above objects of the invention, aswell as other ad vantages which will hereinafter appear, I attain by the apparatus which Ihave illustrated in preferred form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of this speci- Figure l is avplan view of the device'asV adapted for loading shot gun cartridges ve.

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectio through the hopper, on line 5`-5Y of Figure 2,

showing the adj'ustable charge blocks in plan.

Figure 6 isa central vertical section similar to that of Figure 4, taken on line` 6--6 iu Figure 5 and enlarged.`

' Figure 7 is apartial verticalsection through W the bottom of the lmeasuring compartment taken on line 7 7 of Figure 5 illustrating a spring side of the opening in the hopper used for shot.

Figure 8 is a perspective view, and partial section, of a convenient form of wad rammer whichl use.

Figures 9, l0 and 11 illustrate a modification of the device used in loading rifle cartridges with two'kiuds of powder; Figure 9 beingaplau, Figure 10 avertical cross-section ou line 10, 10, of Figure 9, and Figure 1l 6o being a plan view` of the charge block thereof'.

A base l2, which may be conveuientlya table top or may be portable, is provided with sides 13 within which slides the shell block 14. This shell block is of a suicient 65 height to take in the shells in the holes 15, Q which may conveniently be lined with metal as shown. ,The shell block has a removable bottom 17 provided with pins 19 to register in holes in the block, and provided also with 7o grooves 18, so that the cap of the shell will not be in contact with the bottom board. The block lll may be easily slidinto the sides 13 and held in place by the screw 16.

A hopper 26 which I conveniently make in 75 two compartments separated by a partition 2S, rests upon'the sides 13, and when the shell block is in place the latter fitsclose against the bottom of the hopper. The hopper is provided with intu rned lianges 21 which slide 8o in grooves 21a in the sides 13; it is' also providedwith a catch-pin 31 which registers with holes 32 in the sides 13, in position to bring the openings of the hopper directly over the'holes 15 of the shell block on any row de- 85 sired; The hopper is provided with a bottom vproper having' feeding apertures 27, ,and a secondpartition below the first which rests directly upon the sides 13 and the shell block l and has outlet holes 34, out of register with 9o `the holes 27, but registering with the opening 15 containing the shells. Resting immevvdiately upon the bottom or partition 33 are ner as in Figure l, and the adjustment blocksunder the hopper to bring the charge compartments '25 alternately` in register with the holes in the bottoms of the hopper, 27, and They ments 25, and the fingers 36 are movable by means of the adjusting screw 29, and held in Aplace by the lock nut 37, which slides in the slots 38 in the side of the lhopper 26, all as will be plain, from Figure 5. At the side of the charge block I provide a scale 55 to aci curately measure and adjust the volume of the charge compartments. One of 'these charge blocks, 30, is under the shot com party ment of the hopper and the holes 27 thereover are provided on their sides and under the same with a spring portion 40, as shown in Figure 7, for the purpose of preventing the shot from jamming against the upper edge of the charge block, as the latter|` slides under the bottom'of the hopper in its eut-od action:

In loading rifle cartridges it frequently happens that an explosive charge composed of a small portion of rapidly burning powder is used next to the cap and the larger charge of slow burning powder above the same; and for this purpose I arrange the apparatus as shown in Figures :1, l0 and ll.r The hopper -48 has the two compartments a and b, and

the charge block 49 has the two compartments c and d, respectively adjusted by means of the blocks 50 carried on the screws 29. The hopper may be mounted as before upon the sides of a box 45. In loading, rilie cartridges I rindit advantageous to allow the powder a considerable fall as itis dumped into the shell, in Vorder to pack it Well in place: for this purpose, instead of dumping the charges from the compartments c, CZ, directly into the shell 53, I provide a funnel-mouthed tube 5l of some length, which may be attached t'o the bottom o f the hopper while the shells are carried in a slot in the block 52 below it. The partition 46 wit-h slot 47 is convenient for guidingand supporting the tube 51 as the hopper slides along the sides of the box to supply successive shells. The charge block in this case may slide sidewise between the two bottoms of the hopper in the same manthereof are likewise provided with scales for graduating the amount of the charges. It will be seen thatlas the charge block alternates from side toside itwill alternately dump into the tube 5l a charge from the respective compartments a, and bfrom the- The hopper may conveniently in some cases be provided `with a hinged cover as shown in Figure 4. Itis evident that the charge blocks may be arranged to slide in either direction between the two bottoms of the hopper by arL ranging the telescoping parts of the charge block lengthwise of the block.

The operation of the device will be plain from the abovedescription. The shells being inserted in the block 14vand the bottom 17 thereof put in place, and the block being inserted in the box l2, I3, the hopper will be` slid sidewise on the sides 13 so that the catch 3l registers with one of the holes 32, first in position to bring charge vblock 22 over one of the rows of shells. A sidewise motion of the charge block 22 will measure off the required charge of powder and its return to the position shown in Figure 3` will discharge the powder into the shell. Thus the entire row of shells may be loaded, when the wads are put in by the rammer 41 and a similar process repeated, registering the openings of the shot compartment and charge block 30, over the successive rows of` shells. The vamounts of the charges may. be accuratelygradiiated at will by merely turning the screws 29, which it will be observed can be done at any time without removing any of the part-s,since when the blocks22, 30, are shoved over yto the right in order to receive the charges, the scales 51 are exposed to view, and the charges for each row may be adjusted' differently as they are measured o'; so that dierent. charges may bedeposited in the different rows of shells when desired. The convenient arrangement of the graduating scales on the two charge blocks side by side and in plain view, lessens the liability of erroneously proportioning the respective charges; and the provision of the horizontal adjustment forthe volumes of ythe charge compartments renders itunnecessary to provide any removable-parts of the device and avoids the trouble of lifting or altering the position of the hopper. Other advantages of the arrangement of parts will readily occur to those skilled in theuse of such devices.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the-following:

l. A cartridge loading device comprising a shell holder, a movable hopper thereon supported independently of the'shellholder provided w'ith a double perforated bottom, and a shifting charge block having adj ustable compartments for measuring off anddump# ing into the,l shells in the holder a regulable ,charge s. i.. i. 2: A cartridge loadingpdev-ice comprising a box witha removable shell" holder, a hopper supported-on the sidesof Said box, shiftable along the sameto register with the shells in ,said holder and provided with a charge block having meanspforhoi'fiz'ontalad j ustment of the Mcapacity ot" measuring 'compartment therein.

3; The combination with a supporting box, and a removable `perforated shell `holding block therein,- offA ahopper zslidably resting upon the sides of the box over the shell block provided Witlrtwo compartments and a shifting charge `block under each compartment,

IOO

IIO

'rames S? said charge blocks having meansfor horizontal adjustment of the charge compartments therein, whereby the volume of charge may be changed without lifting the hopper or removing any of the parts.

4. In a loading device a hopper provided with two perforated bottom partitions having a shiftable charge block between the partitions, said charge block being provided with compartments adjustable in volume by sidewise movement of the parts thereof.

5. In a loading device, tho combination with a shiftable hopper having a double p'erforated bottom,ot' a charge block between t'ne partitionsof the bottom com posed of telescoping parts forming compartments and having means for horizontal shifting of the telescoping parts to adj ust the volume of the compartments.

6. In a loading device the combination with a loading hopper having a double bottom with perforationsont of register, of a charge block composed of two notched pieces with telescoping fingers, one of said notched pieces being mounted for horizontal adjustment by means of a screw,'and the whole charge block beingshiftable to bring the compartments alternatelyin register with the respective perforations of the two partitions forming the bottom of the hopper.

7. In a loading device in combina'tion'with al shell holder, a hopper having two compartments and provided with two shifting charge blocks thereunder, said charge blocks having adjustable compartments and 'provided with a scale for graduating the volume of the compartments.

8. In a loading device the combination with a shell holder and a shiftable hopper, of

a charge block having two adjustable compartments therein and means for alternately loading and dumping said compartments by shifting the block, substantially as described.

9. A cartridge loading device comprising a retaining box, a shell block removably held in said box, a hopper shiftablyrestin'g on the sides of the box over the shell block, means for adjusting the position of the hopper to register with the shells in the shell block,'and adjustable means for measuring and discharging a charge from the hopper into the shells.

Y l0. In a loading device the combination with abox containing a shell holder, of a shiftable hopper mounted on the sides of the boX and provided with two compartments and a laterally shifting charge block with later- -ally adj ustable measuring compartments,and

a packing tube leading from the outlet of the measuring compartment to the shell to be loaded, substantially as described.

1I. The combination of a perforated shell block, a shiftable hoppe'i having two compartments, supports for said hopper provided with means for adjusting the position of the hopper upon the shell block,two charge blocks laterally shiftable under the bottom of the hopper, means for'adj ustinglaterally the compartments in the charge block, comprising a telescoping section of the charge block provided with a graduating scale thereon, s" bstantially as described.

12. In loading apparatusacomposite charge block having measuring compartments inclosed by the parts thereof and means for shifting all parts simultaneously to alter the capacity of said compartments, and a scale for measuring the common capacityA of compartments.

13. In loading apparatus the combination with a perforated bottom of a hopper and a charge block sliding closely against the same,

of a spring buffer embracing the edge of the perforations in the bottom of the hopper and designed to give as the block slides under the said perforations in order to prevent choking, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand inthe'presence of the subscribed witnesses.

CLINTON B. HELM. Witnesses:

W. C;- GREEN,

WM. J. H. STRONG. 

